Cigar carton



Oct. 18, 1966 R. A. COTE CIGAR CARTON Filed April 8, 1965 INVENTOR RAYMOND A. COTE ATTORNEYS 26 FIG. 3

United States Patent 3,279,593 CIGAR CARTON Raymond A. Cote, Doraville, Ga., assignor to Riegel Paper Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 8, 1965, Set. No..446,579 3 Claims. (Cl. 20641.2)

The present invention relates to the packaging of groups of elongated articles and more particularly to an improved carton for protecting and dispensing cigars.

A commercially acceptable cigar carton must provide adequate protection for the enclosed cigars as well as quick and easy access thereto by the consumer. Since cigars are tightly wedged together in abutted relation when packaged, their removal from the carton often has proved to be difficult and a source of frustration for smokers. Moreover, the removal of a cigar from a full package sometimes has caused the destruction of the package and/or the damaging of the contents.

The present invention, by means of a relatively simple,

yet highly efiicient, structural modification of the bottom structure of a carton, provides a new and improved ejector for projecting the entire contents of the package (typically five or six cigars) above the top edges of the carton, where any one or all of the cigars may be readily grasped and removed from the carton. Specifically, this beneficial dispensing action may be achieved by forming an effectively full width alternate bottom panel in a carton wall along a lower edge thereof. The alternate bottom panel is hinged along parallel lines of weakness to a pivotabe normal bottom wall of the carton and to a flexible portion of the front wall. In accordance with the invention, the alternate bottom panel may be folded inwardly 90 and the normal bottom may be pivoted 90 to establish a secondary or alternate bottom structure. This folding operation, as will be understood, urges the entire contents of the carton out of the top end for easy access.

In the carton of the invention, the wall portion to which the alternate bottom panel is hinged is made flexible to accommodate the establishment of the alternate bottom and its consequent ejection of cigars by providing special cuts, of more or less inverted J-shaped configuration at the lower extremities of the front wall. As a specific aspect of the invention, the I-shaped cuts include straight cut segments extending diagonally inward and upward from the ends of the lowermost line of weakness toward the uppermost line of weakness of the alternate bottom panel and contiguous arcuate cut segments extending outwardly toward the side edges of the wall. The described arrangement of cuts perm-its the vertical front corner scores of the carton to extend uninterrupted for the full carton length, to strengthen the carton structure and to maintain the integrity of the carton front wall during the establishment of the alternate bottom.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its attendant advantages, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a carton blank embodying the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an erected and filled carton showing the new and improved ejection structure before establishment of the alternate bottom;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carton of FIG. 2 showing the entire contents projected by the establishment of the alternate bottom; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged, cross-sectional views showing details of construction of the ejection structure before and after establishment of the alternate bottom.

3,279,593- Patented Oct. 18, 1966 Referring to FIG. 1, the carton of the present invention may be erected from a pre-formed paperboard blank 10. Parallel scores 11-14 and transverse scores 15-17 divide theblank into consecutively articulated first side wall, front wall, second side wall, rear wall, and glue flap panels 19-23, respectively. A cover panel 24, having a tuck flap 25 articulated thereto along a score line 18, is hinged along the top edge of the rear wall panel 22, while a first bottom flap 26 is hinged along its bottom edge. A second bottom flap 27, similar to the flap 26, is hinged to the bottom of the front wall panel 20.

In accordance with the invention, a generally trapezoidal alternate bottom panel 28 is formed in the front wall panel 20 and is defined in part by a score line 2-9 spaced above the bottom edge score 16. The line 29 is of less than full carton width but extends to within a cigar width of the vertical edge scores 11, 12. For ease of folding the paperboard in the subsequent establishment of an alternate bottom and in the opening and closing of the carton, the score lines 29 and 15-18 are further weakened by superimposed cuts. The sides of the alternate bottom panel 28 are defined by cuts 31 of generally inverted J-shaped configuration, straight segments of which extend diagonally upward and inward from the lower corner extremities of the vertical scores .11, 12 toward the score line 29, giving the panel 28 a generally trapezoidal shape. From the score line 29, the cuts 31.extend arcuately outwardly to points short of the vertical edge scores 11, 12 leaving wall reinforcing portions 32 immediately adjacent the vertical scores which extend uninterrupted for the full length of the carton. This general arrangement represents an important specific feature of the invention, because the strength of the carton is not needlessly compromised even though the alternate bottom extends for the full carton width, since the carton edges defined by the score lines 11-14 will retain their full length integrity.

The new and improved carton of the invention may be formed using conventional equipment by initially forming a rectangular flattened tube by folding the blank 10 along two of its longitudinal (vertical) scores (e.g., score line 11, 13) and securing the glue flap 23 to the first side wall 19 by a suitable adhesive 30. Thereafter, the so-formed tube may be squared and a normal bottom 33 may be formed by joining the bottom flaps 26, 27 along the full carton width by closing with an adhesive 34. The package is then completed by loading the cigars A-E and closing the top of the carton by folding the top panel 24 and'tucking the flap 25 between the cigars and the front wall 20, the upper edge of which may have a recessed cutout 35 to facilitate subsequent removal of the tuck flap during opening of the package. It will be understood, that the sequence of end closure may be reversed, the top closure being formed prior to the loading of the carton and the formation of the bottom closure. Opening of the new and improved cigar carton is effected by conventionally removing the inserted tuck flap 25 to expose the tops of the cigars A-E which will be closely embraced and firmly held one against the other by the specific proportions of the carton walls.

In accordance with the invention, ready and complete access to the entire contents of the package, cigars A-E, may be had by simply exerting an inward and upward force F on the lower front edge of the carton which will cause the normal bottom 33 to be pivoted along the score line 17 into a face-to-face relation with the rear wall 22 and will cause an alternate bottom 36 to be established by the swinging of the alternate bottom panel 90 about the score line 16. As an important aspect of the invention, the inverted J-shaped cuts 31 extending for a predetermined distance above the score line 29 will accommodate flexion of the front wall 20, as shown clearly in FIG. 5, without deleterious tearing. As will be under- 7 mal bottom 33 and refolding the cover panel 24 and truck It will be appreciated that the provision of cuts extend- 9 ing beyond the'p'latform panel allows the establishment of the alternate bottom to be effected without tearing apart or otherwise mutilating the carton. Moreover, in accordance with the inventive principles, the provision of inwardly extending angular cuts originating at the car- --ton bottom preserves'the integrity of the full length of the corner creases and therefore prevents weakening of the carton during the ejection of the contents and establishment of the alternate bottom.

It is to be understood that the specific carton herein illustrated and described is intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scopeof the invention.

1. A carton for a plurality of tightly packed elongated articles or the like, comprising (a) consecutively articulated front, first side, rear, and second side walls formed into a rectangular tube having predetermined length, width, and depth dimensions, (b) front and rear bottom flaps articulated to said front and rear walls, (c) said bottom flapsinfolded 90 and adhesively secured to define a normal bottom structure, (d) an alternate bottom panel formed in said front wall in the lowermost portions thereof,

(e) said alternate bottom panel being hinged to the front bottom flap along a firs'tline of weakness extending the full width of the carton,

(f) said alternate bottom panel being hinged to said front wall by a second-line of weakness parallelto said first line of weakness, but of less than the full width of the carton, 1

(g) cuts in the plane of said frontwa-ll and extending obliquely from the lower corners of saidtube and defining the sides of said alternate bottom panel and front wall reinforcing portions immediately adjacent thereto,

(h) whereby said alternate bottom panel may be folded inwardly of said tube along with said normalbottom structure to form an alternate bottom in a transverse plane spaced from the bottom edges of said tube a distance substantial-lyequal to the width of said front bottom flap.

2., A carton in accordance with claim 1, in which (a) said oblique cuts are substantially J-shaped and extend beyond said alternate bottom panel terminate ing at predetermined points spaced from the side edges of said tube.

3. A carton in accordance with claim 1, in which (a) the width of said front bottom flap is equal to the depth of said carton,

(b) the width of said rear bottom flap is equal to the depth of said carton. 7

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED: STATES PATENTS 1,648,156 11/1927 Tejada. 1,953,418 4/1933 MacDonald 206-4l.2 X 1,928,889 10/1933 Guyer 2292O LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CARTON FOR A PLURALITY OF TIGHTLY PACKED ELONGATED ARTICLES OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING (A) CONSECUTIVELY ARTICULATED FRONT, FIRST SIDE, REAR, AND SECOND SIDE WALLS FORMED INTO A RECTANGULAR TUBE HAVING PREDETERMINED LENGTH, WIDTH, AND DEPTH DIMENSIONS, (B) FRONT AND REAR BOTTOM FLAPS ARTICULATED TO SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS, (C) SAID BOTTOM FLAPS INFOLDED 90* AND ADHESIVELY SECURED TO DEFINE A NORMAL BOTTOM STRUCTURE, (D) AN ALTERNATE BOTTOM PANEL FORMED IN SAID FRONT WALL IN THE LOWERMOST PORTIONS THEREOF, (E) SAID ALTERNATE BOTTOM PANEL BEING HINGED TO THE FRONT BOTTOM FLAP ALONG A FIRST LINE OF WEAKNESS EXTENDING THE FULL WIDTH OF THE CARTON, (F) SAID ALTERNATE BOTTOM PANEL BEING HINGED TO SAID FRONT WALL BY A SECOND LINE OF WEAKNESS PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST LINE OF WEAKNESS, BUT OF LESS THAN THE FULL WIDTH OF THE CARTON, 